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uBlock Origin becomes top addon on Firefox

addons.mozilla.org

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Re: uBlock Origin becomes top addon on Firefox

#11

Post by inglor_cz »

lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

I think it's only a matter of time until adblock is legally banned. The current situation, where the vast majority of the internet relies solely on ads and an increasing number of people use adblock year over year is unsustainable. The system can support a certain number of free riders (people who consume the product but don't contribute back in ad eyeballs), but at a certain point the math will no longer work. Event…

The ad model is unsustainable for many other reasons too and it will likely fail anyway.

See Facebook's struggle when Apple limited their ability to track you.

Re: uBlock Origin becomes top addon on Firefox

#12

Post by jimbob45 »

lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

I think it's only a matter of time until adblock is legally banned. The current situation, where the vast majority of the internet relies solely on ads and an increasing number of people use adblock year over year is unsustainable. The system can support a certain number of free riders (people who consume the product but don't contribute back in ad eyeballs), but at a certain point the math will no longer work. Event…

If any ad-evasion technology was ever going to be banned legally, it would have been TiVo. The internet is far less reliant on straight ad revenue than TV shows were.

Re: uBlock Origin becomes top addon on Firefox

#13

Post by AdmiralAsshat »

lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

I think it's only a matter of time until adblock is legally banned. The current situation, where the vast majority of the internet relies solely on ads and an increasing number of people use adblock year over year is unsustainable. The system can support a certain number of free riders (people who consume the product but don't contribute back in ad eyeballs), but at a certain point the math will no longer work. Event…

Legally banning adblock will open up a large can of worms that I don't think anyone really wants to probe into. Third party "ads" can run shady, if not outright malicious JavaScript. If "adblocking" becomes illegal, does it logically follow then that a visitor to a website is legally compelled to allow the site's shady-ass code to run on their computer?

That would likely fail in the courts, and it might cause inverse blow-back that fully bans such things from running at all. The ad vendors don't want that, because they're probably content to let a minority of users block their ads if it means that the majority still let their ads and all associated tracking/JS run unabated.

Re: uBlock Origin becomes top addon on Firefox

#14

Post by jandrese »

Buttons840 wrote: post #4
lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

I think it's only a matter of time until adblock is legally banned. The current situation, where the vast majority of the internet relies solely on ads and an increasing number of people use adblock year over year is unsustainable. The system can support a certain number of free riders (people who consume the product but don't contribute back in ad eyeballs), but at a certain point the math will no longer work. Event…

Option 3, let the ad funded internet die and keep the remaining good parts.

The problem is that the most popular alternative, microtransactions, doesn't work. Turns out there is a big psychological barrier between free and literally any payment at all, even a few pennies. People are sensitive to the danger of being nickled and dimed to death.

And that's before you get into the problem of how to set up a clearinghouse where you can handle microtransactions without being eaten alive by fees.

Re: uBlock Origin becomes top addon on Firefox

#15

Post by alarmingfox »

I instantly install this extension whenever I work on a new machine as I could not imagine browsing the web without it.

For that reason I just went looking for a donate button to help fund the project and it turns out they don't even accept donations

https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Why-don't-you-accept-...

Re: uBlock Origin becomes top addon on Firefox

#16

Post by Jalad »

lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

I think it's only a matter of time until adblock is legally banned. The current situation, where the vast majority of the internet relies solely on ads and an increasing number of people use adblock year over year is unsustainable. The system can support a certain number of free riders (people who consume the product but don't contribute back in ad eyeballs), but at a certain point the math will no longer work. Event…

There's good precedent for adblock remaining legal through a few lawsuits[0]. Granted that is in Germany but I'm hopeful legal action in the US would have a similar outcome.

[0] https://torrentfreak.com/adblocking-does-not-constitute-copy...

Re: uBlock Origin becomes top addon on Firefox

#17

Post by Trellmor »

lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

I think it's only a matter of time until adblock is legally banned. The current situation, where the vast majority of the internet relies solely on ads and an increasing number of people use adblock year over year is unsustainable. The system can support a certain number of free riders (people who consume the product but don't contribute back in ad eyeballs), but at a certain point the math will no longer work. Event…

So far, adblockers have won in court every time.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32903235

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43838308

https://torrentfreak.com/adblocking-does-not-constitute-copy...

Re: uBlock Origin becomes top addon on Firefox

#18

Post by dasKrokodil »

lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

I think it's only a matter of time until adblock is legally banned. The current situation, where the vast majority of the internet relies solely on ads and an increasing number of people use adblock year over year is unsustainable. The system can support a certain number of free riders (people who consume the product but don't contribute back in ad eyeballs), but at a certain point the math will no longer work. Event…

There was an internet before everything was funded by ads. It was different, but also nice.

Re: uBlock Origin becomes top addon on Firefox

#20

Post by treeface9000 »

lalaland1125 wrote: post #2

I think it's only a matter of time until adblock is legally banned. The current situation, where the vast majority of the internet relies solely on ads and an increasing number of people use adblock year over year is unsustainable. The system can support a certain number of free riders (people who consume the product but don't contribute back in ad eyeballs), but at a certain point the math will no longer work. Event…

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